Want to wow your guests with a gift that's as green as it is delicious? Show up at their weekend house with a bag of direct-trade coffee.

Want to wow your guests with a gift that's as green as it is delicious? Show up at their weekend house with a bag of direct-trade coffee. That's the term for coffee that's even more socially conscious than fair-trade. The label "fair-trade" guarantees that the importer has a long-term sales relationship with the farmer and pays prices that add up to a living wage. And while fair-trade certification by TransFair USA "is still a valuable indicator of supply chain transparency," according to Mark Overbay of Durham, North Carolina's trend-setting Counter Culture, direct-trade coffee roasters work more directly with growers, in places such as Africa, Latin America, and Indonesia. Direct-trade coffee purveyors often have higher-than-market pay minimums, as well as quality that exceeds that of their fair-trade brethren. Get your favorite direct-trade beans delivered straight to your home from these excellent sources: Terroir, Counter Culture, Stumptown, Intelligentsia; prices range from about $10 to $20 per 12-ounce bag. - Zinzi Edmundson